PISCATAWAY - The topic du jour was health care and the "Big, Beautiful Bill," or what Democrats call the "Big Ugly Bill."

But as Rep. Frank Pallone was about ready to start his presentation at the local seniors center Wednesday morning, some people outside wanted to talk about reported starvation in Gaza.

A small group held signs and accused the United States of backing "Israeli genocide."

Pallone did not seem to interact with the group. And for that matter, neither did any of the 75 or so people in the meeting room.

A man who said he was with his son tried to enter the room, saying he wanted to discuss the issue with Pallone.

But the mayor, Brian C. Wahler, said he could not. Wahler said the meeting was reserved for senior citizens and that neither the man Nor his young son qualified. The mayor suggested that he talk to Pallone about the issue afterwards.

When the session ended about an hour or so later, all the protesters were gone, It was, of course, very hot outside.

This small episode shows how the situation in Gaza continues to reverberate. That's been the case since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas. But with news reports chronicling starvation in Gaza, the issue is again front and center.

Asked about Gaza afterwards, Pallone said it is incumbent upon the United States to do more to help people living there.

"We have to do more to make sure the aid gets in, because obviously a lot of it isn't, " he said. His reference was to the aid groups with which the U.S. is working.

As for the meeting with seniors, Pallone appeared along with the mayor and local state lawmakers, Sen. Bob Smith and Assemblyman Joseph Danielsen.

"This bill has a very negative impact on seniors," Pallone said.

The congressman spoke of cuts to Medicaid, which would impact hospitals, and to the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. He said the ACA cuts would reduce subsidies and therefore increase costs.

All Democrats opposed the bill.

Pallone said some Republicans admitted that the bill had problems but supported it because Donald Trump wanted it. He added that some Republicans said it could be "fixed" later.

The congressman wasn't impressed by that stance, saying, "What the hell is that (about?) "

The question and answer session produced an interesting philosophical comment by Pallone.

One man raised the continuous struggle between a congressman voting his conscience or the party line.

Pallone mentioned "extremes" on the Republican right, but the questioner said there are extremes on the left and that Pallone sometimes votes with them.

Sticking to the official business of the day - health care - Pallone said he is actually further to the left on that issue that some may think. He said he wants a national health insurance program, which drew a few cheers. He said that would be preferable to a patchwork of government health programs we have now. He explained:

"Health care should be seen as a right. People get sick and it doesn't have anything to do with whether you're rich or poor."